So I watched this over the weekend (three hours of pseudo-plot going nowhere in a hurry) and had a question at the end.

Night Owl Sr tells NO Jr that the superheroes started when some cops started wearing costume to ***** with the gangsters who were wearing costumes. But the current crop (plus Comedian) seemed to possess at least somewhat supernatural speed and strength. Comedian punches chunks out of his apartment walls in his fight with Ozy. Ozy smashes Comedian's head through a granite bar top. Comedian is still alive after this. Also, Comedian held up very well for a guy around 70 years old.

The others (NO Jr, Silk-whatever, Rorschach) all seem to posses agility & strength beyond the norm as well as they dodge bullets, beat up bad guys, etc. Are they supposed to be "super"heroes (and, if so how did they get their powers) or is this just Batman style "I'm the most skilled guy in the world at everything!" chicanery?

Obvious, Dr. M is "super" in the classic sense of the word. I mean the other guys.

Are they supposed to be "super"heroes (and, if so how did they get their powers) or is this just Batman style "I'm the most skilled guy in the world at everything!" chicanery?

Batman style chicanery. Their skills are just the result of intensive dedicated mental/physical training. The "head through the granite countertop" thing I just take as as the Comedian being one tough old *******, and as for him punching through the apartment walls... well, drywall isn't exactly the most durable stuff in the world...

Out of curiosity, have you read the book?

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"Fairy tales are more than true: not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten." ~ G.K. Chesterton

They're supposed to be just regular people who want to do the right thing. Its just their abilities are all amped up to make the action more interesting. Batman on the other hand is more powerful than God (which is why God works for Bruce Wayne) and shouldn't, at any point, be thought of as just a skilled individual.

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George Carlin wrote:

I think it’s the duty of the comedian to find out where the line is drawn and cross it deliberately.

Re: Comedian, I was referring more to a punch he swung where he busted out a chunk of a lintel corner (which actually looked to be a stone/marble work but I didn't rewind it) than his "fist through the drywall" punch.

Only Ozymandias comes close to being a genuine superhuman (which is why he's actually able to catch a bullet)

Forgot about that part. Actually, that whole sequence all "Super-ninja chop!" although Ozy was more super-ninja than the other guys, hence his kicking their *** repeatedly.

I doubt I'll bother to read it unless a copy falls into my lap. I found the plot rather tedious and dragging and don't really have interest in revisiting it in written form. Certainly not to pay money for the pleasure.

I thought the whole "I did it ten minutes ago" line was much, much more powerful in the graphic novel. The movie almost made it an after thought.

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"The Rich are there to take all of the money & pay none of the taxes, the middle class is there to do all the work and pay all the taxes, and the poor are there to scare the crap out of the middle class." -George Carlin

The movie wasn't bad. It certainly entertained me, but I saw it in Imax so Dr. Manhatten's **** was like, 2 stories tall.

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"The Rich are there to take all of the money & pay none of the taxes, the middle class is there to do all the work and pay all the taxes, and the poor are there to scare the crap out of the middle class." -George Carlin